All Unofficial Guide members hate waiting for hours in line. If you want to avoid the mad crowd rush, holding a spot hours before Wishes! Takes place, and have a spectacular view of the show, look no further. Do this boat ride. I’m a grown man and even I wore the bandana and sang along with my wife and the rest of the crew. There’s actually two boats that go out to watch the fireworks, Hook and Smee, and Patch. We had Patch, who was very entertaining. We got to watch the Electrical Water Pageant and saw a beautiful view of the fireworks. It was like watching the preview of a Disney movie. The fireworks were amazing, the music was cued perfectly with the show, and best of all there was no crowds to fight.
Also forgot to mention that they encourage you to use the bathroom before you go on. Its a about a 2.5 hour tour, with the first hour having desserts and picture taking with Capt Hook n Smee. There’s a freezer in plain sight, but a lot of people miss it. It’s got the Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and popsicles. Before you eat though, I recommend rushing to get a picture with Hook and Smee, to avoid the long line to follow. Eat when you’re done taking pictures. Saves waiting times and that’s what TP is all about. Also for the kids, they play a trivia game to give away prizes. So study those Disney movies and theme songs.
Yes! For those that haven’t done this, they assign you and your party your seat number. We didn’t know this ahead of time, but were treated to a great panoramic view. The even numbered guests are somewhat blocked by the odd numbered ones.
Reviving thread… How does one request an odd-numbered row? When I made my reservation I asked and the CM told me there was nowhere to add that information. Other sites say it’s already pre-selected when you arrive so you can’t do it when you get there. Did you just keep calling back?
I have never done this, and I can’t find the reference where they said how they requested an odd numbered row. You can try calling back and seeing if another CM can help you out - some are a little more knowledgeable/helpful than others. I suppose that you can also ask when you check in.
When I booked our reservation, I didn’t know about the row request. I’m assuming you can call and ask, but certainly not at the point of check in. It’s already assigned prior to your arrival. This info is not advertised. My wife and I sat in the even row, which is still a great view. However, the odd ones are much better because no row is in front of you partially blocking your view, and the top of the boat bobs up and down, blocking more of it.
I’ll call again. The person who did my res looked around; she was taking her kids to WDW soon, too, and was appreciative to know that the odds have a more unobstructed view. So, she really did look around, since she was also looking for herself. No harm in calling back!